Microsoft：Peaks, valleys and vistas

The launch of a new version of Microsoft Windows, called Vista, is not quite the event it used to be. Has the software giant reached the pinnacle of its power?

与往昔相比，新版微软视窗操作系统Vista的发布引起的反响稍有逊色。软件巨人的能力是否已近极限？

Reuters：AROUND the time of the release of Windows 95, Microsoft discreetly sold a small subsidiary that made its packaging. A decade ago that decision seemed to fit with the progression of computing and the nascent internet. Although people all over the world stood in long lines to be the first to buy boxed and shrink-wrapped copies of Microsoft's latest operating system, it was thought that such products would in future be delivered direct to their computers over high-speed networks.

当年Windows95发布的时候，微软低调出售了一家负责包装的子公司。在十年前，这一决策确实与当时计算机的发展和刚出现的英特网相适应。虽然全世界各地的人排着长队，就是为了第一个买到盒装的最新版微软操作系统的紧缩套装（译注1），微软却相信类似的产品将来会通过高速网络直接发送到用户的电脑上。

On January 30th Microsoft releases to consumers the newest version of its operating system, called Windows Vista. Although the company said on January 17th that it would make Vista available for sale and download online, most people will buy the upgrade in old-fashioned boxes, just as they did back in 1995. But this time, despite plenty of razzmatazz, few customers will be queuing up to buy a copy.

1月30日微软将发布最新版的操作系统，称为Windows Vista。虽然公司在1月17日宣称它将允许消费者在线购买和下载Vista，大多数用户可以像1995年那样购买老式的盒装版新软件。不过，这次虽然微软大张旗鼓地大搞展示，但是却少有顾客愿意排长龙来购买了。

This reflects the way in which Microsoft's dominance is slowly being eroded. Who produces the plumbing for a personal computer matters a lot less than it did in 1995. More PCs now talk to one another using open standards rather than proprietary ones. Many services and some programs are accessed online. People watch videos on YouTube, share photos on Flickr, check their e-mail and even work on files and spreadsheets, all using software that is based on the internet.

这反映了微软的统治地位正在慢慢地被侵蚀。这家为个人计算机提供基础软件的公司已经不像1995年那样重要了。更多的计算机现在使用开源软件而不是版权所有的软件。许多的服务和一些软件都使用了在线的模式。人们在YouTube上看录像，在Flickr上共享照片，在线收发邮件，甚至使用在线的文档和制表软件。

These changes are bad for Microsoft. Vista is being released with Office 2007, an update to its universally employed suite of word-processing, spreadsheet and other applications. Windows and Office are the backbone of the company. They represent nearly 60% of sales and 80-90% of its profits, estimates Directions on Microsoft, an independent research firm. Close to 1 billion PCs are now in use and because Windows and Office sit on nearly all of them, the programs are the inescapable tithe on belonging to the information society.

这些变化对微软很不利。Vista是与Office2007一起发布的。Office2007是Office系列软件的最新升级版，此软件包含了文档处理、制表以及其他办公软件。Windows和Office是公司的支柱。根据独立研究机构微软方向（译注2）的统计，它们贡献了将近公司60%的销售额和80%-90%的利润。现在世界上有近10亿台电脑，而由于几乎所有的电脑都装有Windows和Office，他们已经成为了信息社会不可或缺的一部分。